Keeping Your Eye On The Ball

TENNIS TIP...Keeping Your Eye On The Ball

Players often look at where they're hitting, and forget to look at what they're hitting. In sports such as football, baseball or basketball where you often have the ball in your hand it is an advantage to look at your target. In tennis, golf or batting a ball as well as many other sports, players must focus on watching what they are hitting rather than where they are hitting.

Tennis professionals are known for having great focus in keeping their eye on the ball, and keeping thier head still while striking the tennis ball. I work with my students on ways to keep their head still and their eyes focused at the point of contact for as long as possible. The main idea is to not move your eyes from the contact point until after hitting the ball. A simple technique to keep your head still is to use the sound of impact as the indication of when you can take your eye from contact to where you have hit the ball. Listen for the impact of the ball with the strings before looking in the direction of your intended target.